Arthur HONEGGER (1892-1955)
Horace victorieux (1920-21) [21:24]
Cello Concerto (1929) [16:37]
Prélude, Fugue et Postlude (1929 arr. 1948) [12:54]
Une Cantate de Noël (1952-53) [24:46]
Alban Gerhardt (cello); James Rutherford (baritone); children from the choirs
of Tewkesbury School, Schola Cantorum and Dean Close Chamber Choir, Robert
Court (organ)
BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales/Thierry Fischer
rec. 14 December 2007 (live), St David’s Hall, Cardiff (Cantate), 20
- 23 February 2008, Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, DDD
HYPERION CDA67688 [75:43]
Arthur Honegger was a member of Les Six who became a major symphonist. He
had a delight in trains, hence his most famous composition, Pacific 231,
a description of just such a train making a journey and undertaking an emergency
stop. He also wrote operas, operettas, chamber and instrumental works and
music for film (he scored Abel Gance’s Napoleon). It was Honegger
who introduced Miklós Rózsa to the idea of writing for film.
Horace victorieux is described as a symphonic mime after Livy. It’s
a large, disturbing and violent score, with little repose. It’s brilliantly
scored and full of the most thrilling music. Not an easy listen, perhaps,
but then what music by Honegger is an easy listen? What a piece, though! Perhaps
the violence has militated against it being performed too often, but it’s
a fascinating start to his orchestral canon. It was preceded only by Le
chant de Nigamon (1917) and Pastorale d’été
(1920), neither of which prepare one for the onslaught which is Horace
victorieux. Although this performance cannot hold a candle to Michel Tabachnik’s
truly hair-raising account of the work (with l’Orchestre National de
France, on a Barclay LP (995 042), coupled with Honegger’s 1stSymphony),
the BBC National Orchestra of Wales gives a powerful and heroic account. This,
alone, is worth the price of the disk.
The Cello Concerto is different entirely. It’s gentler, more
melodic and great fun. This work has the tang of Stravinsky and Les Six, it’s
so obviously a product of the 1920s. Alban Gerhardt plays very well indeed
in this authoritative performance, which perfectly captures, by turns, the
raucousness of the age, in the bristly finale and a certain wistfulness. However,
if you can find the 78s of the work, given by Maurice Maréchal - for
whom the work was written - with Honegger conducting, grab it, for it is a
fine performance as well as an historical document.
The Prélude, Fugue et Postlude derives from a larger choral
work, but it is obvious that Honegger meant it to be seen as a separate entity.
Although enjoyable it’s not quite up to the very high standard Honegger
set himself and is thus a bit of a disappointment. The material isn’t
memorable and the orchestration is too thick - too easy and obvious. However,
it’s good to have any Honegger on disk so I won’t carp too much.
Une Cantate de Noël is more a quodlibet than a cantata, mixing,
as it does, well known carols with prayers in Latin. Here is the only French
choral work I know which comes anywhere near the greatness of Lili Boulanger’s
magnificent Du fond de l’abîme - one of the handful of
20th century masterpieces for chorus and orchestra. It brings together
all the different strands of Honegger’s art, and so we have the tension
of the 3rdSymphony, side by side with the
easy-going music of the 4th combined with beautiful
choral writing, all underpinned with a transparent orchestral score. It’s
easy to see why the work has become popular and it has been recorded several
times - once it even appeared as a free CD, given away with the BBC Music
Magazine, so it must be popular! Like the other performances on this disk,
this is good, but it still leaves one wanting more, for the interpretation
fails to reach the heart of the music. Added to this, the usually reliable
James Rutherford suffers from a wide vibrato which grates on the ear - how
one yearns for the perfect vocal production of Pierre Mollet (in both the
Ansermet (Decca 414046) and Tzipine (not available) recordings) and the chorus
sounds rather lacklustre, and too small, at times. The final climax is well
handled.
These are good performances, but there are better, and they never quite rise
to the occasion as they should. The sound is fine with a very wide dynamic
range and the booklet has an informative note and a full text and translation.
However, this disk will find many friends for this important and interesting
composer and, for that, we should be grateful for its issue. For repeated
pleasure, though, I shall be looking elsewhere.
Bob Briggs
For repeated pleasure I shall be looking elsewhere.